Worth The Waiting

We phone to make a reservation for lunch; we’re told our table won’t be ready before 2.15 p.m. Oh well, but then Moshe Shek is supposed to have cooked for the likes of Princess Diana, Mikhail Gorbachev and Michael Jackson. Moshe’s is located on the ground floor of a charming 100-year-old building. It’s a simple, intimate place with high ceilings, wine-coloured walls and sunlight pouring in through tall windows. The menu is an eclectic combination of European and Middle Eastern.

Our regular favourites here are the Sicilian risotto, made with tomato, capers and olives, and the signature dish of penne, in paprika cream, with broccoli and roast almonds. This time, though, we started with a fragrant, herb-y gorgonzola fondue and harissa chicken skewers. For the main course we had char-grilled rawas and a slow-cooked Moroccan chicken tagine. And we finished by splitting a sinful Philadelphia baked cheesecake. It was, as usual, a meal that made us want to come back again. Moshe’s is also famed for its long, lazy breakfasts and its decadent desserts (try the B52, a rich chocolate dessert spiked with Cointreau, Kahlua and Irish whiskey: definitely not what your dentist ordered).